Industrial robots are manipulating machines, which are equipped with useful tools for automatic handling of objects and are programmable in a plurality of motion axes, in particular with regard to orientation, position and process sequence. A method for programming the industrial robot (programming method) is understood as the systematic procedure for creating user programs.
One generally known programming method is the so-called playback method, in which the programming of an operation is accomplished by manually guiding the industrial robot along a desired curve in space. As this is done, the actual current position values, i.e., the axis position or the TCP position (tool center point position) of the industrial robot, is captured into the user program in a defined time or distance raster.
EP 1 508 396 Al discloses a method for controlling the pressing force of a welding tongs guided by means of an industrial robot. The force acting on the welding tongs is measured during the welding, and the robot is adjusted so that the force acting on the welding tongs is equal to a predefined target force.